Ethernet is a standard for communicating both data and voice signals. The use of Ethernet communications in industrial applications is increasing, and in response, Ethernet switches particularly designed for industrial applications are being produced. Previous implementations of Ethernet in industrial applications, such as manufacturing control applications, have relied on simple unmanaged switched that have been “hardened” to withstand the environmental conditions existing on the manufacturing floor or on intelligent managed switches inside temperature controlled enclosures. Unmanaged switches that do not support intelligent features cannot provide the data transport reliability required by large scale applications specifically for control protocols based on producer-consumer models. Commercial off-the-shelf equipment do not generally meet the form factor and power requirements of the industry at large and its implementation is costly.